Stem winding and setting watch



(No Model.)

B. H. FLINT.

. STEM WINDING AND SETTING WATCH. No. 472,987;- Patented Apr. 19, 1892.

FIGJL. FIGJZ.

Z illlfiiilg UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

EDWIN n. L 0F CINCINNATI OHIO STEM WINDING AND SETTlNG WATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.472,987, dated April 19,1892.

Application filed May 11,1891. Serial No. 392,304. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it 71mg concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. FLINT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stem Vinding andSetting \Vatches; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull,clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had tothe annexed drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to those watches which are capable of being woundand set without employing a key or other extraneous device; and thefirst part of myimprovements consists in fitting a shiftable wheelbetween gears of the winding and hands-setting trains, said wheel beingconstantly engaged with another wheel or pinion, but preferably with apinion. When this pinion is turned in one direction, the wheel movestowardone side of the watch and engages with the winding-train; but whensaid pinion is turned in a contrary direction said wheel shifts towardthe opposite side of the watch and meshes with the hands-setting train.The turning of the pinion may be accomplished by any suitable means,although it is usually effected by an ordinary stem attached to thewatch-pendant, as hereinafter more fully described.

The second part of my improvements c011- sists in providing theshiftable-wheel attachment with a peculiar stop, against which alongitudinally-shiftable stem can be brought to bear in such a manner asto temporarily lock said wheel in gear with either the winding orsetting trains, as hereinafter more fully described.

Thethird part of my improvements includes a peculiar combination ofdevices that permits the shifting wheel to have a limited back-ratchetaction while the watch is being wound, as hereinafter more fullydescribed.

In the annexed drawings,Figure l is afront elevation of the essentialparts of awatch embodying my invention, the shiftable wheel beingengaged with an intermediate pinion of the winding-train. Fig. 2 is arear elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is another front elevation of the watch,the shiftable wheel and pinions being removed and their positions shownby dot ted circles, and said wheel being indicated as in gear with anintermediate pinion of the hands-setting train. thereof. Fig. 5 is agreatly-enlarged vertical section of the mechanism, taken in the planeof the pendant-stem. Fig. 6 is a plan of two pieces of said mechanismdetached from the watch.

A represents a portion of any watch-case. B is the pendant thereof, andC is a plllarplate properly secured within said case, a oncular holebeing turned in said plate to admit a disk D, which latter is held inplace by screws (1.

c are other screws,whercwith a stem-pinion bridge E is secured to therear side of disk D, said bridge being bored circularly to admit acylindrical sleevef, projecting at a right angle from the pinion F, thesleeve itself being provided with a square hole f to receive the squareend of a stem 1), operated by the pendant B. This stem is capable ofbeing turned by said pendant and also has a slight longitudinal motionsolely for the purpose of locking the swinging wheel in either one oftwo positions. The driving-pinion F projects through a slot (1 of disk Dand engages with the teeth of ,a swinging or other shiftable wheel G,which is couuterbored in front to admit the enlarged disk-shaped head hof pivot H, as more clearly seen in Fig. 5. Pivot H 'fits tightly withinthe hub 71 of a swinging bearing I and has a limited movement to theright and left in the slot of disk D, said bearing being coupled to therear of said disk by a pivot 2". Attached to the rearside of bearing Iis a bent spring J, the free end of which bears against a stop K, thatturns on the hub i, said. stop being held in place by a pin it, thatpasses through the main pivot H.

l is a screw or pivot for an intermediate pinion L, that can be gearedinto any approved winding-train. m is another screw or pivot for anintermediate pinion M, capable of engagement with any desiredhands-setting train.

To illustrate the operation of my mechanism, let it be supposed thestemb is retracted, as seen in Fig. 5, so as to cause the inner end ofsaid stem to clear the stop K and thereby unlock the swinging bearing 1.Evidently Fig. lis a rear elevation this hearing and its attachments arenow free to swing in either direction on the pivot i, which swingingmotion will be governed by the turning of driving-pinion F. If pendant Bshould be turned in the direction of the arrow, (seen in Fig. 1,) saidpinion will cause the wheel G to swing over accordingly and gear withthe intermediate winding-pinion L. It is also evident thatthis motion ofsaid wheel will be communicated to the hearing I, because the pivot H ofwheel G passes through the hub i of said bearing. Consequently thelatter is caused to assume the position seen in Fig. 2, and the stem I),being now advanced, bears against the stop K in the manner shown andholds the wheel G in mesh with the pinion L with a moderate degree offorce, butnot so firmly as to prevent disengagement of said gears G Lwhen pendant B is turned in a reverse direction. This disengagement isdue to the slight yielding action the spring I permits the pivot H tohave within the slot d", and is sufficient to allow what is calledback-ratchet in winding a watch. Wheel G will therefore gear with thewinding-train as long as stem b remains in the position seen in Fig. 2;but when it is desired to set the watch said stem must firstberetracted, as seen in Fig. 5, and-the pendantB be turned in thedirection of the arrow in Fig. 3, the result of said turning being thatthe drivingpinion F causes said wheel to swing over and engage with thepinion M' of the hands-setting train. Stem b is again advanced and bearsagainst the stop K in the manner shown in Fig. 4, and causes a positiveengagement of wheel G and pinion M until the hands of the watch havebeen properly set, after which act said stem is again retracted, thependant turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, the wheel Gthrown in gear with pinion L, and then the stem bis again advanced tohold said wheel in gear with the winding-train, which is the normalcondition of the mechanism. It will thus be seen that the act ofthrowing the main wheel G into gear either with the. winding or settingtrains is due wholly to the proper turning of driving-pin ion F, and isentirely independent of the longitudinally-shiftable stem b, thefunction of the latter being merely to lock said wheel in the desiredposition. In Fig. 5 the diameter of this pinion F has been greatlyenlarged on account of the wheel G, plate D, bearing 1, and stop K beingshown'unusually thick to render them conspicuous; but in reality therelative diameters of said wheel and pinion are about as shown inFig. 1. Finally, the disk D is to be used only when the mechanism isfitted to old watches; but in constructing new watches said mechanismwill be applied directly to the pillar-plate G.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, in a watch, of awinding-train, a hands-setting train, a laterallyswinging bearing, awheel journaled in this bearing, a stem-pinion constantly in gear withsaid wheel, and a longitudinally shiftable pendant-stem traversing thehub of said pinion and serving to operate the latter, the arrangement ofthese devices being such that the proper turning of-said pinion willswing said wheel aside and cause it to engage with the winding-train,while the turning of said pinion in another direction will swing saidwheel to the opposite side and compel it to engage with the handssettingtrain, the pendant-stem being pushed in after the wheel has shifted forthe purpose of locking the swinging bearing in position, all as hereindescribed.

2. The combination, in a watch, of a longitudinally-shiftable stem 1),operated by the pendant, a driving-pinion F, havinga hole f, traversedby said stem, a pivot 11, a main wheel G, turning on the latter andengaging with said pinion F, a pivott', a swinging bearing I, hungthereon and having a hub 1', carrying said pivot H, a spring J, securedat one end to said bearing I, a stop K, pivoted to said hub 71 andhaving the free end of said spring in contact with it, a winding-gear L,and a hands-setting gear M, all as herein described, and for the purposestated.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

I EDWIN H. FLINT.

Witnesses:

J AMES H. LAYMAN, FRANCIS M. BIDDLE.

